About to purchase WF ACA studs...need some input :)

[goldenfire]

Haha, I am like MGR as to wanting stones to be mindclean! My sisters are the same as yours. I am sure they have no idea of the color or clarity of their diamonds! And they'd likely flip out if they had any idea how much I've spent on diamonds!

I will say that I agree that I can handle more color in antique stones than modern. But I also think if you're wearing these studs with your OECs, I wouldn't want stark white studs and then below low color stones on my hands. That's why I think I color is a good compromise for you.

Do have them line up the I color stones you are considering on a white background and have them choose the highest I color stones. They have done that for me. The time before my last upgrade I did have an I color pair as a possibility, but one stone was visibly lower in color than it's match, so I eliminated them.

LOL my sisters (or anyone else) would absolutely flip if they knew what I've spent on diamonds...they think it is such a waste lol. Honestly people think some of my stuff is fake bc no one where I live has stones like this or is remotely interested. Ladies especially think my bangle is fake with the 22k satin finish, bc it's not shiny (looks like something wonder woman would wear lol) and the stone is larger than any bracelet stone they have seen (that and the cut is so different), most ladies tell me it's "cute" and where did I get it? I say thanks and just go with it and don't divulge any info that it is real lol. I just say it was a gift.

Based on your experience with your studs, I did ask them to line up the stone options every time I found some options and asked them to tell me if there was a whiter pair...every time Becca said they were all the same color...I was hoping to find an I on the whiter side and just go with that pair, but it didn't seem that there was anything that was remotely different to her eye. Same thing when I was looking at J stones, she said they were all the same.

 

[MissGotRocks]

I know what you mean! I do think it enables us to see and savor all the details of beauty though!!!

That would be the other side of the coin and you are probably right! When it's good, it's fabulous!!

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Open forums are great because we all get an opinion. Doesn't mean you have to like or abide by it. (and I suppose there are a lot of people, like me, on ignore...)

WF has great stuff. And return and upgrade policy. Buy the closest to D color and IF you can get for your budget. Perhaps E or F, VVSI or 2? Just saying.

cheers--Sharon

 

[goldenfire]

HI:

Open forums are great because we all get an opinion. Doesn't mean you have to like or abide by it. (and I suppose there are a lot of people, like me, on ignore...)

WF has great stuff. And return and upgrade policy. Buy the closest to D color and IF you can get for your budget. Perhaps E or F, VVSI or 2? Just saying.

cheers--Sharon

Good thing I don't need a D color or IF clarity stones lol. I actually prefer a little warmth. I have F color diamond studs and they are a little too white for me and as far as clarity, VS clarity is just fine for my preferences I should be golden with either H or I color and VS clarity for these studs Maybe some people prefer D color and VVS1 or 2 clarity stones but luckily for my budget, I am not one of them

 

[goldenfire]

That would be the other side of the coin and you are probably right! When it's good, it's fabulous!!

I know, so fabulous!!! And we get to enjoy all the gorgeous details of the fabulousness lol...well...until we get bored and want to upgrade haha...WF's policy is great for that. Though I can't imagine wanting to go much larger, I have no earlobe space! I will be lucky to fit these on my ears

I am thinking I'm going to try WF's 6 prong setting bc the 8 prong martini wasn't my favorite irl, prongs were almost invisible.... Or I may go with the classic 18k yellow gold Tiffany style bezel setting that I have adored since the day I tried on a pair at a Tiffany Boutique. They are similar to Brian Gavin's hand made bezels, almost identical, but I think The gold in the Tiffany bezels may be a tad thicker, which I adore bc I love 18k yellow gold. The ones in the pic on my ears were 1.4ctw 5.7mm H SI1 diamonds for 14k!!! Tiffany prices are nuts. After googling the setting I found a gorgeous pic of Angelina Jolie wearing a pair and that helped me to envision them bigger....love that setting so much


Above is the 5.7mm size on my ears at the Tiffany Boutique (they looked more like 6mm irl but at 1.4ctw they were most likely 5.7) and the studs below I'm guessing are somewhere between 7-8mm on AJ's ears

 

[MissGotRocks]

Well by all means get what makes your heart flutter! I'm sure either one will showcase that size of earring beautifully!

 

[goldenfire]

I landed on a decision finally, I decided to try I color first and have asked Becca to pull the 7mm pair and the 7.14ish mm pair and tell me which faces up whiter. The larger pair is out of the running bc of the "knot" that MGR pointed out and it also has an inclusion that reflects around the diamond. I am waiting to hear back from Becca with photos and comparison to find out if one pair is whiter and if the SI1 in the 7mm pair is eyeclean or not. By the end of today (Thurs) I should have a decision and the funds wired Thanks all for all the input and feel free to give me more thoughts/advice/pointers etc! lol I decided to have them set the stones in their 6 prong martini setting to showcase the stones The 12 day turnaround time seems like FOREVER to wait for a pair of earrings lol. Normally time flies, but not when waiting for sparklies to arrive lol.
Here are links to the 2 pairs I've narrowed it down to:
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/compare.aspx?idnos=3970288,3986350


https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/compare.aspx?idnos=3925331,3956075

 

[MissGotRocks]

Wow - you've picked two nice pair. The second pair is bigger but so well matched! Those diamonds should be gorgeous. I love that you've decided on the six prongs; I love earrings set in prongs personally.

Keep us posted as to which pair you chose and good luck. In the end, you are going to end up with some gorgeous earrings!!

 

[goldenfire]

Ahhhhhh I'm pretty disappointed on the news that came back on these 2 pairs. Becca gave me the below pasted info on them...it looks like they both may have a clarity issue..and maybe the larger pair that I excluded because of the "knot" seems to be on par with these pairs..... any opinions? I am not thrilled about dropping this kind of cash on any pair of diamonds that have inclusions that I can see so I am a little disappointed in the options and not sure where to go...

Here is what Becca wrote:
Personally I think you’d like the 1.32ct VS2 and 1.333ct I Si1 a little better in terms of clarity. I wasn’t able to personally see anything on the VS2 without magnification and the SI1 does have a couple of darker inclusions I was barely able to pick them up at 6 inches due to where they fall. I had to rock the diamond back and forth a lot for the facet to light up just right.


On the set with a little more carat weight the VS1 is extremely clean while the VS2 has a dark inclusion that falls right in the middle of the table. It was much easier for me to pick up on that one at 6 inches. I think if you’re worried about clarity I would bypass that option.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Ugh, tough decision! Let me look at the video of that VS2 to see what the inclusion is like.

I love the pictures with the Tiffany bezels! Is that you aside from the picture of AJ? If so, you are beautiful!!! While I absolutely adore those yg bezels, prongs in white metal will allow you to wear them with anything as the prongs will basically be invisible.

Sure, there are others there. Sheerah is usually who helps me, and she is the one who tells me about higher vs lower color, clarity, ec.

 

[goldenfire]

This was the 3rd and larger pair I had originally picked, but after MGR pointed out the "knot", I asked Becca about the 1.412 stone and she said this:
Here is the pair link:

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/compare.aspx?idnos=4015034,3970291

Here is what Becca said:

"A knot by definition is a surface breaking inclusion. It’s an included crystal that extends to the surface of the diamond after fashioning.


The knot in the diamond you mentioned is small and white in color. Nothing I can see from the top or sides personally without magnification. I can say that one of the white crystals in this diamond does fall in front of a facet junction and reflects around the stone. Doesn’t diminish performance or hinder the beauty one bit, we don’t keep those kinds of stones in our inventory.".....

If I can see it, it will bug me....not sure what direction to go

 

[diamondseeker2006]

If you want the larger size, that VS2 is not an issue to me, and I am VERY picky about clarity. I do not see how in the world you could see that teeny spec of pepper in that stone. It just doesn't bother me and when reduced to actual size, I cannot see how that can be an issue. I'd rather have VS1-VS2 IF the larger size is desirable to you. The others are closer in size to mine and I think they are fine, but 7.15mm would be really nice and maybe you wouldn't want to upgrade them.

I'd choose these over the one with the knot.

 

[goldenfire]

Ugh, tough decision! Let me look at the video of that VS2 to see what the inclusion is like.

I love the pictures with the Tiffany bezels! Is that you aside from the picture of AJ? If so, you are beautiful!!! While I absolutely adore those yg bezels, prongs in white metal will allow you to wear them with anything as the prongs will basically be invisible.

Sure, there are others there. Sheerah is usually who helps me, and she is the one who tells me about higher vs lower color, clarity, ec.

Thank you for that info! I know Becca seems to see clarity really well... but given that in her opinion, there has been zero difference in color in all the matches that she has gone over for me ( and there have been many), I think maybe she doesn't see things how I usually do when it comes to color.

 

[goldenfire]

If you want the larger size, that VS2 is not an issue to me, and I am VERY picky about clarity. I do not see how in the world you could see that teeny spec of pepper in that stone. It just doesn't bother me and when reduced to actual size, I cannot see how that can be an issue. I'd rather have VS1-VS2 IF the larger size is desirable to you. The others are closer in size to mine and I think they are fine, but 7.15mm would be really nice and maybe you wouldn't want to upgrade them.

I'd choose these over the one with the knot.

DS, I would think the same thing about this pair as you said, that I wouldn't be able to see that tiny spot...BUT Becca said she could see the dark inclusion in the table "easily", and much more easily than the inclusions in the smaller SI1 stone... and if she can see it easily, I'll see it all the time probably....she said this "the VS2 has a dark inclusion that falls right in the middle of the table. It was much easier for me to pick up on that one at 6 inches. I think if you’re worried about clarity I would bypass that option." and she also said "I do think the smaller options are the better ones in terms of clarity. It was super hard to see the inclusion in the SI1 and even when I could it was tiny"

I'm honestly kinda bummed and not sure where to go because I wanted really clean stones that I couldn't detect anything with and I was honestly wanting to go a tiny bit bigger like the 7.15mm is size in the 1.38 pair or the 7.2mm overall size of the 1.41 pair...I also want a really close diameter and percentages and haven't been able to find any other pairs because of those factors, maybe I missed something though

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Ahhhhhh I'm pretty disappointed on the news that came back on these 2 pairs. Becca gave me the below pasted info on them...it looks like they both may have a clarity issue..and maybe the larger pair that I excluded because of the "knot" seems to be on par with these pairs..... any opinions? I am not thrilled about dropping this kind of cash on any pair of diamonds that have inclusions that I can see so I am a little disappointed in the options and not sure where to go...

Here is what Becca wrote:
Personally I think you’d like the 1.32ct VS2 and 1.333ct I Si1 a little better in terms of clarity. I wasn’t able to personally see anything on the VS2 without magnification and the SI1 does have a couple of darker inclusions I was barely able to pick them up at 6 inches due to where they fall. I had to rock the diamond back and forth a lot for the facet to light up just right.


On the set with a little more carat weight the VS1 is extremely clean while the VS2 has a dark inclusion that falls right in the middle of the table. It was much easier for me to pick up on that one at 6 inches. I think if you’re worried about clarity I would bypass that option.

It must be the distance from the camera, but the pair at the bottom looks larger to me.

 

[goldenfire]

Oh and yes that is me in the Tiffany bezels lol. I LOVE the look of that style...just not so sure I love the way bezels don't allow for maximum glow and sparkle of stones. Every time I've bezeled a diamond I can see a slight difference in glow etc I figured I'd see the WF 6 prong setting in person and then if I didn't love it, I'll change to the 18kyg bezel

 

[goldenfire]

It must be the distance from the camera, but the pair at the bottom looks larger to me.

I noticed that too...and the 1.33 pair seemed to looked whiter in the pics than the 1.38 but who knows....I specifically had asked her if she could make her hand parallell to the phone instead of angled so the stones at her fingertips didn't look smaller than the ones closer to the palm (and even sent a pic of what I was looking for with my hand horizontal) and she said that was the best she could do....:/

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I just don't know. There's a mindclean issue to me, and having larger and VS1-VS2 might still win for me. I just don't see you holding it up 6" in front of your eye, ever.

 

[goldenfire]

Just found one other match option in I 1.4 7.2mm range:

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/compare.aspx?idnos=3961913,3965471

 

[goldenfire]

I just don't know. There's a mindclean issue to me, and having larger and VS1-VS2 might still win for me. I just don't see you holding it up 6" in front of your eye, ever.

Oh yes mind clean is def an issue lol...BUT i do hold them 6" in front of my eyes all the time, I am weird like that and take them off to stare sometimes..actually quite often bc I love staring at my diamonds haha

DS which number makes for fatter arrows?...is it the lower girdle percentage? so the 1.4 pair I just found has 76 & 77 and the 1.4 pair with the knot has 77 &78......so will arrows look fatter in the 78? vs 77 or 76? Or is that indistinguishable in just one or 2 percentage points?


All this stone hunting is dizzying lol

 

[goldenfire]

I have 2 winning options yay!!!!! And can I just say that I don't know what I would do without this forum and all the help you all have offered. You are all gems! No pun intended...but lol it works

So after all day of going back and forth lol....I have 2 winning options now yay..and I'd love opinions now that I've finally narrowed it down but totally understand if this is way too much info to follow lol. I so appreciate all of your help. You have all been so awesome!

The 7mm (1.315 & 1.32 I VS2) option, Becca says is a TINY bit whiter from the side than the 7.2mm/1.4ct option, but she says face up all the stones are the same color....and the 7.2mm/1.4ct option has an SI1 stone that she says is totally eyeclean (I asked her to clarify how clean it was)...below are links as well as Becca's helpful notes on the diamonds, please tell me your thoughts if you have time

Beccas Notes:
"From the top all of these really look the same in color. From the side I personally think the 1.315 and 1.32ct combo are a higher I color and leaning ever so slightly towards H (very slight).
The 1.4ct combo is what I’d personally consider a true I color.

1.315ct I VS2- Clean diamond even as close as 6 inches on top. White inclusions.
1.32ct I VS2- Clean diamond even as close as 6 inches on top. White inclusions.


1.421ct I SI1- White inclusions, clean from as close as 6 inches on the top
1.435ct I VS1- Very clean diamond would need 20x to see the very light crystal."

And here are the links:
7mm:
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/compare.aspx?idnos=3986350,3326174

7.2mm:
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/compare.aspx?idnos=3961913,3965471



Here are pics of my earlobes with 7mm czs in bezels (total diameter including bezels is 8mm) and the 2 last pics are with WF 8 prong setting and the 6.7mm J stones that were too warm..they especially looked too warm bc when I face forward, the diamonds are always at a side view (second pic of this stud you can see this) and color was emphasized even more from that angle. I think I color should be great bc I love the costco GIA I color stones on my ears. all the gorgeous pics in the "show your ACAs" thread convinced me to try I first .. I think there is plenty of room for 7mm and thinking 7.2mm would be find as well...thoughts? I thought the 6.7mm was too small lol Kind of embarrassing that what used to be HUGE is now too small ..oh my
(sorry my hair is always messy with running around with 3 boys! That's pretty much how life is around here lol)

 

[AGBF]

The 2 I've chosen look blindingly bright in the videos...i don't need super duper white..honestly the Costco 2ctw studs that I always pass by are perfect color for me , they say they are at least I im hoping these diamonds face up close to that "look" of the Costco stones
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3737622.htm

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3986339.htm

I have some pieces set with Whiteflash ACA stones. Your earrings (yes, I loved the look of the Costco ones on you) set with these will be out of this world gorgeous! I am glad you are not going bigger. I had a pair of 1.25 carat (each) earrings and they pulled down my ear lobes. They were not bezel set, but still.... Now I have a set of two .50 carat (each) ideal cut stones if I want to wear studs.

Can't wait to see photos of the finished product!

Deb/AGBF

 

[goldenfire]

I have some pieces set with Whiteflash ACA stones. Your earrings (yes, I loved the look of the Costco ones on you) set with these will be out of this world gorgeous! I am glad you are not going bigger. I had a pair of 1.25 carat (each) earrings and they pulled down my ear lobes. They were not bezel set, but still.... Now I have a set of two .50 carat (each) ideal cut stones if I want to wear studs.

Can't wait to see photos of the finished product!

Deb/AGBF

Hi Deb thanks for the reply!!!!I actually went a different direction since the beginning of this thread..it's definitely confusing since I changed my mind so many times lol...my last post has the latest


PS I have found jumbo backs incredibly helpful for preventing droopage. I also cant wear normal basket settings but need a slightly cupped earring setting so the earrings pop forward instead of following the slope of my nonexistent earlobe and pointing down...otherwise I couldn't wear larger than 5- 6mm stones lol...jumbo backs or even the plastic disc backs also give me more earlobe to work with, otherwise I have literally almost none and everything droops lol. the pics i posted are with jumbo backs and they make it "appear" as if I have normal size earlobes

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Oh yes mind clean is def an issue lol...BUT i do hold them 6" in front of my eyes all the time, I am weird like that and take them off to stare sometimes..actually quite often bc I love staring at my diamonds haha

DS which number makes for fatter arrows?...is it the lower girdle percentage? so the 1.4 pair I just found has 76 & 77 and the 1.4 pair with the knot has 77 &78......so will arrows look fatter in the 78? vs 77 or 76? Or is that indistinguishable in just one or 2 percentage points?


All this stone hunting is dizzying lol

I can't focus on something 6" from my eyes unless I am using a loupe!

76 is fatter, 80 is skinny. You'll see most ACAs from 76-78 and those are all fine, but the 76-77 is great.

That new stone looks good. Looks like little clear crystals. I think it's odd she didn't bring that stone up as a replacement for the knot stone. I wouldn't ordinarly pair a VS1 with an SI1, but I'd do it if they had everything else I wanted. I had not even looked at the site because I thought y'all already had all the possible options.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Now, back to your last post with the pictures. You have tiny lobes. The 6.7mm ones look good, and 7mm is going to look bigger. If you were going to do bezels, I definitely would say to stick with 7mm stones. I really am not sure I'd go larger than the 1.38s if I were you. But unfortunately I have plenty of room for 2+ ct studs!!!

 

[tkyasx78]

Do the 7’s!

 

[goldenfire]

I think it's odd she didn't bring that stone up as a replacement for the knot stone. I wouldn't ordinarly pair a VS1 with an SI1, but I'd do it if they had everything else I wanted. I had not even looked at the site because I thought y'all already had all the possible options.

I think it's odd too..i wondered why she didnt help me scour the website and help find a better match for multiple pairs that had issues with inclusions. Ive been all on my own, maybe she was just really busy.....but at least i hunted and found some options.maybe she stopped trying bc a few days ago the match she tried to find me in H color was too off in diameter for me ( She paired a 1.33 with a 1.4ct H stone) and maybe she stopped trying after that thinking that I am pickier than she is lol..this is the link for the pair...was too different diameter for me but she said to her eyes it looked like a good pair..maybe I am just too picky lol

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/compare.aspx?idnos=3961916,3965453

 

[goldenfire]

Now, back to your last post with the pictures. You have tiny lobes. The 6.7mm ones look good, and 7mm is going to look bigger. If you were going to do bezels, I definitely would say to stick with 7mm stones. I really am not sure I'd go larger than the 1.38s if I were you. But unfortunately I have plenty of room for 2+ ct studs!!!

Yeah probly best to try the 7s first...especially bc it's almost 3k less...and then from there if I feel I need to go to 7.2mm or to H color, i can always exchange & move up. I also like that the 7s are slightly whiter which I know I will notice and appreciate...


I am undecided on the bezels just yet....i love how prongs allow more light into diamonds and I am always a bit disappointed at the loss of the glow factor once my stones get bezeled...but I do adore the bezel setting so much that for many of my pieces it's been worth it! And that Tiffany yg setting is one I've loved forever...if only I could buy 2 sets of 7mm ACAs...haha yeah right

 

[goldenfire]

Now, back to your last post with the pictures. You have tiny lobes. The 6.7mm ones look good. 7mm is going to look bigger. If you were going to do bezels, I definitely would say to stick with 7mm stones.

If I didn't bezel what do you think? I am thinking I'll try the WF 6 prong martini first and if I don't love it then I'll move to the bezel

Lol you are lucky to have more lobe real estate!!!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think it's a good decision to go with the 7mm ones. You are upgrading color and size, so they should look great! I think the 6 prong setting is very pretty! Those should work with the jumbo backs which will keep them from tilting downward.